(1) Arjuna said: 'One by one I wish to know
about the reality of the renounced order, oh mighty armed one, and to
understand what renunciation is, oh master of the senses, killer of
Kes'î [Kes'î was a mad horse once defeated by Krishna].'

(2) The Supreme
Lord said: 'Giving up the desire
of [material] activities is what the learned know as the renounced
order [sannyâs] while the forsaking of all fruits of
action is
what the experienced call renunciation [tyâga]. (3) One group of great minds says that fruitive
work [karma] is an evil and must thus be given up while others say that
the works of sacrifice, charity and penance are never to be given up in
this. (4) To be sure about this renunciation, oh best
of the Bhâratas, it is in fact declared to be of three kinds, o
tiger among men: (5) Sacrifice,
charity and penance; they are never to be given up and for sure obliged
to do that sacrifice, charity and penance there is even for the great
souls purification. (6) But with all
these activities must without doubt, performing them out of duty, the
association with their results be given up; that, oh son of
Prithâ, is My last and best word on it.

(7) Renunciation
then of activities never
implies the forsaking of prescribed duties; a renunciation thus led by
illusion is declared to be of ignorance. (8)
He who performs renunciation and gives up out of fear, because such a
workload might be troublesome or a discomfort to the body, is for sure
of passion and never certain of the outcome. (9)
Prescribed work then indeed done out of discipline, oh Arjuna, and in
association with giving up on the result - that renunciation is, in My
view, of goodness. (10) The renouncer
who never hates disagreeable work nor gets attached to the agreeable is
absorbed in goodness and has an intelligence free from doubt. (11) For sure it is not possible for the embodied
one to be renounced in all activities together, but the renouncer is
said to be anyone who is the renouncer of the fruit of labor. (12) The three kinds of karmic consequence of
finding things going to hell, reaching to heaven or having a mixture of
these, come after leaving the world for those who did not renounce, but
this is never the case for the renounced order.

(13) Understand
from Me that it is said that, in
the end of Vedic analysis, oh mighty armed one, for the perfection of
all activities, there are these five agents: (14) The place, the doer, the variety of
different means and the separate ways as surely also the divine as the
fifth. (15) These are the five that lead to all the
karma which one physically takes up, in speech and in mind, doing right
or the contrary. (16) So, anyone
who sees his soul in this as the only agent is then not led by
intelligence; he is of a foolish vision. (17)
One whose nature is never falsely identified; one whose intelligence is
never blinded; he, even killing in this world, never kills nor does he
become entangled.

(18) Knowledge,
the known and knower are the
three incentives for action; the senses [or sense-organs], the karma
and the doer are, as you know, the threefold constituents. (19) One says that knowledge, action and the doer
are for certain as well of three kinds in terms of the three modes of
nature; hear also how they are all set apart. (20) That knowledge by which one sees the
imperishable ground of all living entities as undivided although they
are divided in
number, you should know to be in goodness. (21)
But that knowledge which of division to the
diverse situations understands [that ground] as different in all the
living beings must be known as being of passion. (22) And that [knowing] which is fixed on one
type of work as if that would be all, is unfounded, lacks in reality
and is too easy; it is said to be of darkness.

(23) That action
which is regulated, without
attachment, like or dislike and done without desiring the result is
said to be of goodness. (24)
But that work which is done in hot pursuit, identified with the
material, or again is done with a lot of pressure; that is said to be
in the mode of passion. (25)
And that work which is after attachment, is destructive, causes
distress and has no regard for the consequences or is begun being
mistaken about ones own capacity; that is said to be of ignorance.

(26) A worker
freed from attachment, not to the
service of the body, qualified with resolve doing the best he can,
unwavering in accomplishment and failure, one says is in the mode of
goodness. (27) A worker is declared to be of passion if he
is very attached in his desire of working for the result, is
avaricious, of a violent nature, impure in his motives and led by joy
and sorrow. (28) Unconnected, materialistic, obstinate,
deceitful, waging against others, lazy, morose and procrastinating is
what one says of the worker in the mode of ignorance.

(29) O winner of
wealth, now listen as I describe
to you in detail how the individual types of intelligence and
conviction
are certainly also differing in three kinds to the modes of nature. (30) Oh son of Prithâ, understanding, which
knows how to move onwards and how to refrain from it, what should be
done and what not, what is to be feared and not to be feared and what
is of bondage and what of liberation; know that to be of goodness. (31) Not precisely knowing of what is to the
original nature and what goes against, what would be right and what
would be wrong; that intelligence, oh son of Prithâ, is in the
mode of passion. (32) The
intelligence which thus covered by illusio thinks unrighteousness to
be true nature and thinks that everything goes the wrong way; that
intelligence, oh son of Prithâ, is of ignorance.

(33) That bearing
which by an unbroken practice
of yoga retains the activity of the mind, the life force and the
sense-organs; that resolve, oh son of Prithâ, is of the mode of
goodness. (34) But the attitude, oh Arjuna, by which one
holds on to one's righteous duty, enjoyment and material progress out
of
attachment in desiring the fruits; that determination, oh son of
Prithâ is in the mode of passion. (35)
That will by which one never gives up the sleeping, fearing, lamenting,
drooping and surely also the presuming, is of an unintelligent attitude
in the mode of ignorance, oh son of Prithâ.

(36) But hear from
Me now about three kinds of
happiness one enjoys by fortitude, oh best amongst the Bhâratas
and of which one reaches the end of sorrow. (37)
That happiness which is in the beginning like poison but in the end
compares with nectar, is in the mode of goodness said to be born in the
soul from the grace of intelligence. (38)
That happiness which results from the contact of the senses with the
sense objects and which in the beginning is just like nectar but in the
end is like poison; that happiness is considered to be in the mode of
passion. (39) That which from the beginning to the end is
happiness produced by self-deception, sloth, laziness and
misunderstanding, that is said to be of ignorance. (40) There is no being in existence either on
earth or in the higher spheres among the divine, that is free from the
influence of these three modes of material nature.'

Arjuna said: 'One by one I
wish to know about the reality of the renounced order, oh mighty armed
one, and to understand what renunciation is, oh master of the senses,
killer of Kes'î [Kes'î was a mad horse once defeated by
Krishna].'

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Arjuna said: 'Oh man of grip and
master of the senses, I'd like to know what the truth of the renounced
order is and what I, apart from that order, should understand of
renunciation, oh devil slayer.' (Sanskrit
& tradition)

Text 2

The Supreme Lord said: 'Giving
up the desire of [material] activities is what the learned know as the
renounced order [sannyâs] while the forsaking of all
fruits of
action is what the experienced call renunciation [tyâga].

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The fortunate one said: 'What the
learned know as the renounced order, entails that one gives up to lust
for the karma; men of wisdom speak of renunciation when the profit
motive in all endeavors is forsaken. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 3

One group of great minds says
that fruitive work [karma] is an evil and must thus be given up while
others say that the works of sacrifice, charity and penance are never
to be given up in this.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

One group of thinkers says that
karma is an evil thing and that it therefore must be given up, while
others stress that, in this matter, the works of sacrifice, charity and
penance never should be given up. (Sanskrit
& tradition)

Text 4

To be sure about this
renunciation, oh best of the Bhâratas, it is in fact declared to
be of three kinds, oh tiger among men:

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

To be clear about this matter of
renunciation, oh best of the Kuru dynasty, one in fact speaks of three
kinds, oh tiger among men. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 5

Sacrifice,
charity
and penance; they are never to be given up and for sure obliged
to do that sacrifice, charity and penance there is even for the great
souls purification.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Indeed acts of sacrifice, charity
and penance must never be given up, for even the greatest souls find
purification in that sacrifice, charity and penance. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 6

But with all these activities
must without doubt, performing them out of duty, the association with
their results be given up; that, oh son of Prithâ, is My last and
best word on it.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

But no doubt with all these
actions one performs out of duty, the association with their results
must be given up; that, o son of Prithâ, is my final and best
statement about it. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 7

Renunciation then of
activities never implies the forsaking of prescribed duties; a
renunciation thus led by illusion is declared to be of ignorance.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

To renounce in karmic matters
never implies that one forsakes prescribed duties; such a renunciation
led by illusion, is declared to be of ignorance. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 8

He who performs renunciation
and gives up out of fear, because such a workload might be troublesome
or a discomfort to the body, is for sure of passion and never certain
of the outcome.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

He who gives up out of fear, or
because a certain workload might be too troublesome or maybe a
discomfort to the body, is most certainly a renouncer in the grip of
passion, someone who never gets the point of renunciation. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 9

Prescribed work then indeed
done out of discipline, oh Arjuna, and in association with giving up on
the result - that renunciation is, in My view, of goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

When one for a fixed period of
time works for a result and combines that with a forsaking of the
profit motive at other times, such a renunciation Arjuna, is to my
opinion, of goodness. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 10

The renouncer who never hates
disagreeable work nor gets attached to the agreeable is absorbed in
goodness and has an intelligence free from doubt.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

He who, intelligent enough,
cutting with the doubts, is of the forsaking, but never hates it to
suffer some stress in working for a result, nor gets attached to the
pleasure of exercising his skills in it, is absorbed in goodness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 11

For sure it is not possible
for the embodied one to be renounced in all activities together, but
the renouncer is said to be anyone who is the renouncer of the fruit of
labor.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Surely it is for the one embodied
impossible to be completely renounced in all his activities, but one is
said to be a renouncer when one is a renouncer of the fruit of one's
labor. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 12

The three kinds of karmic
consequence of finding things going to hell, reaching to heaven or
having a mixture of these, come after leaving the world for those who
did not renounce, but this is never the case for the renounced order.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

When one turns away from the
world there are, for the ones who were not of renunciation, the three
kinds of karmic consequences of finding things going to hell, reaching
to heaven or having a mixture of these, but this is never the case for
those belonging to the renounced order.35(Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 13

Understand from Me that it is
said that, in the end of Vedic analysis, o mighty armed one, for the
perfection of all activities, there are these five agents:

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Take it from me that, as the
analytic conclusion, there are these five causes, o man of grip, which
are said to serve the perfection of all activities: (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 14

The place, the doer, the
variety of different means and the separate ways as surely also the
divine as the fifth.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

The locality, the person, the
material means, the avenues taken and that what fate arranges.36(Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 15

These are the five that lead
to all the karma which one physically takes up, in speech and in mind,
doing right or the contrary.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Whatever work a person engages in
physically, in speech or in mind, doing the right or the wrong thing,
is of these five causes. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 16

So, anyone who sees his soul
in this as the only agent is then not led by intelligence; he is of a
foolish vision.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

So, anyone who thinks that the
individual soul at work would be the only agent, is, foolishly not
using his intelligence, not seeing matters as they are. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 17

One whose nature is never
falsely identified; one whose intelligence is never blinded; he, even
killing in this world, never kills nor does he become entangled.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Someone who is not led by the
ego nor is looking for someone else never gets entangled and is, even
if he out here killed someone, never the one who can be designated as
the cause. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 18

Knowledge, the known and
knower are the three incentives for action; the senses [or
sense-organs], the karma and the doer are, as you know, the threefold
constituents.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

What impels to action are the
three factors of the knower, the knowledge and the known, while the
worker, the working and the senses at work are the three agents to
which the karma adds up. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 19

One says that knowledge,
action and the doer are for certain as well of three kinds in terms of
the three modes of nature; hear also how they are all set apart.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

One says that concerning the
knowledge, the work and the performer there are three different
qualities in terms of the different modes as well; also hear what they
all are. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 20

That
knowledge
by
which
one
sees
the
imperishable ground of all living entities as undivided although they
are divided in
number, you should know to be in goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That knowledge by which one of
the living beings, despite of their being divided in countless numbers,
sees their imperishable ground as one and undivided, you should know to
be of goodness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 21

But that knowledge which of
division to the diverse situations understands [that ground] as
different in all the living beings must be known as being of passion.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

But that knowledge by which one
perceives the living being, because of its being divided over different
conditions, as being different in all these life forms, must be
considered as being of passion. (Sanskrit
& tradition)

Text 22

And that [knowing] which is
fixed on one type of work as if that would be all, is unfounded, lacks
in reality and is too easy; it is said to be of darkness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

And when one is fixed on one
thing as if that would be all, that type of knowing, being all too
easy, unfounded and unrealistic, is said to be of darkness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 23

That action which is
regulated, without attachment, like or dislike and done without
desiring the result is said to be of goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That work which is scheduled, and
which, free from attachment, like or dislike, is performed without a
desire for some result, is said to be of goodness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 24

But that work which is done in
hot pursuit, identified with the material, or again is done with a lot
of pressure; that is said to be in the mode of passion.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

But proceeding with ego in great
effort to achieve results, one's work is said to be of the mode of
passion. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 25

And that work which is after
attachment, is destructive, causes distress and has no regard for the
consequences or is begun being mistaken about ones own capacity; that
is said to be of ignorance.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

One's work is said to be of the
mode of ignorance when one, motivated for attachments, self-willed, in
disregard of possible consequences, destructive and distressful to
others, engages with illusion. (Sanskrit
& tradition)

Text 26

A worker freed from
attachment, not to the service of the body, qualified with resolve
doing the best he can, unwavering in accomplishment and failure, one
says is in the mode of goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

A worker, free from attachment
and conceit of ego, who qualified, with resolve, and unwavering in
accomplishment and failure, does the best he can, is said to be of the
mode of goodness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 27

A worker is declared to be of
passion if he is very attached in his desire of working for the result,
is avaricious, of a violent nature,impure in his motives and led by joy
and sorrow.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

A worker who, insisting on
results, is led by joy and sorrow and who, impure in his motives, is
avaricious and of a violent nature, is declared to be of passion. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 28

Unconnected, materialistic,
obstinate, deceitful, waging against others, lazy, morose and
procrastinating is what one says of the worker in the mode of ignorance.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Of the worker in the mode of
ignorance one says that he, being materialistic, obstinate and
deceitful, is not connected and that he, in his anti-social attitude,
is lazy, morose and procrastinating. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 29

O winner of wealth, now listen
as I describe to you in detail how the individual types of intelligence
and conviction are certainly also differing in three kinds to the modes
of nature.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

O winner of the wealth, now hear
me describing in detail how, according to the different modes, the
individual types of intelligence and conviction differ as well in three
respects. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 30

Oh son of Prithâ,
understanding, which knows how to move onwards and how to refrain from
it, what should be done and what not, what is to be feared and not to
be feared and what is of bondage and what of liberation; know that to
be of goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Oh son of Prithâ, that
understanding is of goodness which knows of progress as also of
arrest, which knows what should and what should not be done, what is to
be feared and not to be feared, and what is of bondage and what of
liberation. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 31

Not precisely knowing of what
is to the original nature and what goes against, what would be right
and what would be wrong; that intelligence, oh son of Prithâ, is
in the mode of passion.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That intelligence, oh son of aunt
Prithâ, which does not precisely know what belongs to the
original nature and what goes against that nature, nor what would be
right or what would be wrong, is an intelligence in the mode of passion
which is not seeing things clearly. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 32

The intelligence which thus
covered by illusion thinks unrighteousness to be true nature and thinks
that everything goes the wrong way; that intelligence, oh son of
Prithâ, is of ignorance.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Oh son of Prithâ, that
intelligence in which, covered by illusion, everything goes awry and
one takes that what is unrighteous for something righteous, is of
ignorance. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 33

That
bearing
which by an unbroken practice
of yoga retains the activity of the mind, the life force and the
sense-organs; that resolve, oh son of Prithâ, is of the mode of
goodness.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Oh son of Prithâ, that
conviction which, constant in the practice of yoga, has the activity of
the mind, the breath and the senses under control, is a resolve that is
of goodness. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 34

But the attitude, oh Arjuna,
by
which one holds on to one's righteous duty, enjoyment and material
progress out of attachment in desiring the fruits; that determination,
oh son of Prithâ is in the mode of passion.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

But that conviction, Arjuna, by
which one, holding on to one's religiousness, sensuality and material
business37, insists on one's advantage, is a determination, oh son of
Prithâ, in the mode of passion. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 35

That will by which one never
gives up the sleeping, fearing, lamenting, drooping and surely also the
presuming, is of an unintelligent attitude in the mode of ignorance, oh
son of Prithâ.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That determination in which one
unintelligently never gives up the sleeping, fearing, lamenting,
drooping as also the presuming, is of the mode of ignorance, oh son of
Prithâ. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 36

But hear from Me now about
three kinds of happiness one enjoys by fortitude, o best amongst the
Bhâratas and of which one reaches the end of sorrow.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

But now hear from me about the
three kinds of happiness that one enjoys in fortitude, o best of the
Kuru descendants, and from which being steadfast the end of one's
sorrow is found. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 37

That happiness which is in the
beginning like poison but in the end compares with nectar, is in the
mode of goodness said to be born in the soul from the grace of
intelligence.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That happiness which in the
beginning is like poison but in the end compares to nectar, is,
having sprouted in the soul by the grace of intelligence, of the mode
of goodness so one says. (Sanskrit
&
tradition)

Text 38

That
happiness which results from the contact of the senses with the
sense objects and which in the beginning is just like nectar but in the
end is like poison; that happiness is considered to be in the mode of
passion.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That happiness which results from
the contact one has by the senses with the sense objects, and which in
the beginning is just like nectar but in the end is like poison, is a
form of happiness known to belong to the mode of passion. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 39

That which from the beginning
to the end is happiness produced by self-deception, sloth, laziness and
misunderstanding, that is said to be of ignorance.

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

That happiness which from the
beginning to the end is founded on self-deception, sloth, laziness and
misunderstanding, is said to be of ignorance. (Sanskrit & tradition)

Text 40

There is no being in existence
either on earth or in the higher spheres among the divine, that is
free from the influence of these three modes of material nature.'

FILOGNOSTIC
TRANSLATION

Nor on earth, nor among the gods
in the higher spheres, there is anyone who is free from the influence
of
these three qualities inherent to material nature.' (Sanskrit & tradition)